Jitiya fast begins in Tarai-Madhes and Mithila region

The Jitiya fast, observed to pray for children's long life and the family's prosperity, has begun today in Tarai-Madhes and the Mithila region.

Women from the Maithil and Tharu communities, including in Madhes Province, have observed this festival for generations. Jitiya is considered the most difficult of the Mithila fasts.

On the first day of the three-day festival, fasting women ate "ongathan" — curd, beaten rice, sugar and bananas — early in the morning before beginning their fast, which continues until Sunday evening. According to belief, the fast is broken if a woman belches, coughs or bites her tongue while fasting.

Fasting women bathe in rivers, ponds and reservoirs, and there is a tradition of offering "pina" (rice flour balls) and oil to ancestors and the deity Jimutavahana. Leaves of jiyal, bamboo and sponge gourd are used in the worship. In the evening, women from the village gather in one place to listen to the story of Jitmahan.

On the second day, early in the morning, there is a custom of stringing bael leaves according to the number of brothers to make a bow, and bathing in a stream along with a lentil dish called "jakura."

On the main day, tarpan (ritual offerings) is given to deceased grandmothers, mothers-in-law and other female ancestors within three generations. In some places, this is also observed as the Shodash Matrika Shraddha.

After the fast ends, the family opens the worship basket and distributes prasad, and only then do the fasting women eat and drink.

In recent times, the festival has increasingly become an occasion for women's collective gatherings, songs and cultural programs.